Amit Varma is a writer based in Mumbai. He worked in journalism for over a decade, and won the Bastiat Prize for Journalism in 2007. His bestselling novel, My Friend Sancho, was published in 2009. He is best known for his blog, India Uncut. His current project is a non-fiction book about the lack of personal and economic freedoms in post-Independence India.

04 August, 2007

Mohit Ahlawat and Milk

We heard that actor Mohit Ahlawat bought himself a herd of cows six years ago. The health-conscious actor was upset about the adulterated milk that was being delivered to his house, and this instigated him to buy the cows.

When we asked him about it, he said, “Why doesn’t the BMC allow one to keep cows? What’s the issue? Where I come from, everyone has cows.”

Indeed. But it must be clarified that Ahlawat loves not cows, but milk. He is quoted as saying:

I have even tasted tiger’s milk. I was in Kenya’s jungle safari when the local men, who were about seven-feet-tall, asked me if I wanted to taste the milk of a tiger. I got pretty excited and they served it to me in a bowl. I cannot describe the taste of the tiger’s milk but it was the most thrilling experience.

I have tasted goat’s milk too. People say that Gandhiji used to drink only goat’s milk.

If I had to live my life all over again, I would opt to be a tiger-milker. Such a challenge that would be.

This character’s creator described him as “insufferable”, and called him a “detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep”. On August 6 1975, the New York Times carried his obituary, the only time it has thus honoured a fictional character. Who?